This invention relates to gift wrapping materials and more specifically to self-contained gift wrap which provides the user with aesthetically pleasing, self-contained, preferably form-fitting gift wrap which is available for immediate use at the point of purchase and which does not require any extraneous tools or materials to wrap the gift.
Gifts are conventionally wrapped by purchasing a roll of wrapping paper and a myriad of wrapping accessories, such as bows and ribbons; taking the paper home; gathering the tools needed, such as scissors and tape; measuring the amount of paper needed; cutting the paper to size; folding the paper around the gift, taping the tucks and folds as you go; sizing and cutting the ribbon to fit; tying the ribbon around the gift; and fixing a bow. As anyone who has wrapped a gift, the process is not as easy as it sounds. The paper, once unrolled, reveals holes, anomalies in the design and uneven edges. The paper also often rips in the process or is not big enough, so additional measuring and cutting, if not purchasing, are required. A person needs to have four arms to fold and tuck the paper around the gift, all the while holding the paper in place as you tear off yet another piece of tape. The tape itself adds its own characteristic problems to the operation including, repeated attempts to find the end of the tape on the roll and then, once the end is found, having the tape split along its length as you try to pull off a length; then once you are able to tear off a worthy piece and you attempt to maneuver the piece in position, the piece either sticks to itself or to anything else it can along the way.
Needless to say, some have taken up the cause to provide alternative items to make the gift wrapping process easier. These alternative items include gift bags with handles, gift boxes with a design printed on the outside surface of the box and wrapping paper that is pre-cut to fit a gift of a particular size. However, these alternatives introduce new concerns and do not address many of the already existing concerns. Gift bags and gift boxes are often either too large or too small for a particular gift and they require additional accessories, such as tissue paper or plastic grass, to fill undesirable space in the bag and to make the bag more appealing. Pre-cut paper, at best, merely obviates the need to measure and cut the paper if the paper does, in fact, match the size of the gift being wrapped. Pre-cut paper does not address any of the other problems associated with conventional wrapping. In many instances, pre-cut paper is worse than rolled paper because, unless the paper is precisely the correct size for wrapping a particular gift, which it usually is not, the paper may be to small or if too big, must be cut anyway. In any case, none of the alternative are cost efficient and still require extraneous materials or tools to produce an aesthetically pleasing product.
It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide self-contained gift wrap which does not require extraneous tools or materials to wrap a gift; and a method for using the same.
It is a further object of this invention to provide gift wrap that may be utilized immediately at a point of purchase without the need for scissors or tape; and a method for using the same.
It is a further object of this invention to provide gift wrap, and a method for using the gift wrap, that is more convenient and easier to use than convention wrapping and still provides an aesthetically pleasing product without the need for space fillers, such as tissue paper, typically needed with gift bags and gift boxes.
It is a further object of this invention to provide self-contained gift wrap that may be readily adapted to form-fit one or more items having predefined forms and sizes.
A preferred embodiment of the self-contained wrap of this invention for wrapping a gift generally comprises: a first panel; a second panel, having a perimeter, fixed to the first panel along a first portion of the perimeter, so that a cavity is formed between the first panel and the second panel which is adapted to enclose the gift therein, and so that at least one opening to the cavity is defined along a second portion of the perimeter which is adapted to allow the gift to be passed through the opening into the cavity; and at least one flap, fixed to the second panel, which is adapted to fold over the opening and to adhere to the front panel. The wrap also may comprise at least one inwardly folded gusset which is adapted to a bottom panel and two side panels interposed between the first and second panels when the gift is enclosed within the cavity. Each of the side panels may further comprise at least one flap which is adapted to fold across at least a portion of the opening, before the flap is folded over the opening; and the front panel may further comprise a flap which is adapted to fold across at least a portion of the opening before the flap is folded over the opening. The wrap also preferably comprises a display tab, which is removably fixed to the flap and comprises at least one opening through the tab; and a means for removably fixing the tab to the flap. The panels of the gift wrap preferably comprise a thin, polymeric film and the adhesive provided on the flap is preferably of moderate adhesion strength so that the flap can be released from the front panel, if needed, without tearing the gift wrap.
Another preferred embodiment of the self-contained wrap of the invention for wrapping a gift having a predefined form, comprises: a first panel; a second panel, having a perimeter, fixed to the first panel along a first portion of the perimeter, so that a cavity is formed between the first panel and the second panel which is adapted to enclose the gift therein in a form-fitting manner, and so that at least one opening to the cavity is defined along a second portion of the perimeter which is adapted to allow the gift to be passed through the opening into the cavity; and at least one flap, fixed to the second panel, which is adapted to fold over the opening and to adhere to the front panel. Similarly, the wrap may further comprise at least one inwardly folded gusset which is adapted to form a bottom panel and two side panels when the gift is enclosed within the cavity. The gift wrap may be adapted to form-fit a specific gift item such as a compact disc or video cassette tape.
The preferred method of the invention for wrapping a gift, comprising the steps of: providing the gift; providing self-contained wrap comprising, a first panel; a second panel, having a perimeter, fixed to the first panel along a first portion of the perimeter, so that a cavity is formed between the first panel and the second panel which is adapted to enclose the gift therein, and so that at least one opening to the cavity is defined along a second portion of the perimeter which is adapted to allow the gift to be passed through the opening into the cavity; and at least one flap, fixed to the second panel and having an adhesive on at least a portion of the flap; inserting the gift into the cavity through the opening; and folding the flap over the opening and pressing the adhesive against the first panel.
This invention is the result of efforts to design convenient, quick and easy gift wrapping without sacrificing appearance. To be convenient, the wrap was designed to be wrapped around a gift on the spot (at the point of purchase) without extra materials or tools, such as scissors, tape, and a place to work. To be quick and easy, the wrap was designed to require less time, effort and skill than the conventional gift wrapping methods which typically involve cutting wrapping paper to size, folding and tucking corners and taping each fold and tuck.
To achieve a self-contained gift wrap that did not sacrifice appearance, the wrap was designed to produced finished product that looks as good as or better than a gift wrapped by conventional methods. The wrap of the invention is particularly suited for box-shaped gifts such as compact discs and video cassettes, although the wrap of the invention may be adapted to wrap gifts having virtually any shape by altering the size of the wrap and the location and number of gussets, openings and flaps. The wrap may also be provided with a variety of additional decorative accessories attached to the outside of wrap at appropriate positions, including, but not limited to, ribbons, stickers, novelty items, cards and preformed, flat bows which are readily opened into three-dimensional bows.